Renegades
by iKiohri
Summary: Sakuno is a college student studying in Paris and living her life quietly. That was until this boy moved into the apartment right next to hers. He is alluring and darkly mysterious. He turned her world upside down, specially when she found him on top of her, in her own bed, one stormy night. And that was just the beginning of it all. RyoSaku, OthersxSaku. AU.
1. The Hot Guy Next Door

**Author's Note:** Hello, everyone~ I feel like I just came back from the grave since it's been literally _years_ since I've written something. That being said, please go easy on me since I am obviously rusty after such a long break. For some of you who are curious about my other two unfinished tales, for now, _**The Island**_ is going to be officially on hiatus and I am unsure if I'm ever going to continue it. However, I will finish _**Caged**_ at some point since that one is almost done.

I feel like I need some practice first though, and so here comes this new story for now. It's loosely based on _**Criminale!**_ , a drama CD series by _Rejet_ , but of course, with PoT characters.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters featured here, except for a few OCs. _Prince of Tennis_ and its wonderful characters all belong to the genius, Konomi Takeshi.

* * *

 _ **Renegades**_

[Alternate Universe]

 _ **Chapter I: The Hot Guy Next Door**_

 _"A couple of times in your life, it happens like that. You meet a stranger and all you know is you need to know everything about him."_

—Lisa Kleypas, _Sugar Daddy_

* * *

He simply exuded this immense aura of mystery. She couldn't stop thinking about him. It was driving her nuts.

How can you blame her though? Here she is, plain old Sakuno Ryuzaki, a 20-year-old college student studying Culinary Arts in Paris. She can count in one hand the number of close friends she associates with. Her daily schedule mostly consists of attending classes in the morning, working at her part-time job at a nearby sushi restaurant, coming home to study and finish homework, insert eating and sleeping somewhere in there, then repeat. Everything about her life is boringly normal.

Orphaned at the age of 5, she was brought up by her late grandmother, Sumire Ryuzaki, who unfortunately passed away two years ago due to a heart disease. She was since then left under the care of a mysterious guardian living in Germany, who only communicated with her through e-mails and text messages. If not for the monthly allowance that religiously came every month at her doorstep, she would've suspected that this guardian was one of those computer-generated bots that only gave one-to-two sentence replies based on a trigger word in your inquiries.

 ** _I found a perfectly safe apartment near your campus. See attached for the address and the lease terms._**

 ** _A colleague of mine owns a sushi restaurant and they are looking for an extra pair of hands to help. Contact them at this number._**

Those were pretty much the only type of correspondence she received from her benevolent guardian. He never asked anything about her current situation, but somehow magically knows general things that are happening in her life. It puzzled her at times. She also often wondered what this guardian's actual relationship with Sumire was, since she only found his name under Sumire's will with no other information included aside from his e-mail, a phone number, and an address in Germany.

From what her grandmother told her, her parents were runaways who have been disowned by their families, with the exception of Sumire, and that is why no other family member has inquired about her whereabouts or visited them even after her parents died. Forming lasting relationships while growing up had been difficult for her as well, as she and Sumire often moved from one place to another. If she were to mark all the places they've lived in on a map of Europe and drew lines to connect them, she can swear that she would've been able to find constellations from the numerous intersecting lines that will result from it.

That has been her life until now. Loneliness and isolation were two things she's become very familiar with. She never did feel like she belonged anywhere. Everything was always only temporary with the exception of her grandmother. She was the only constant thing in her life and when she was taken away as well, Sakuno was absolutely devastated. It took her about a year before she was able to function normally again.

That was when this mysterious man moved into Apartment #504, the room directly next to hers.

She just came home from her part-time job when she first saw him. As luck would have it, she was completely disheveled from the strong wind that was blowing through Paris that night. Her auburn hair was sticking out in different angles, a couple of strands undone from her twin braids. Her eyes were red, having been completely exhausted from a busy day at the restaurant. So imagine her genuine surprise when she suddenly noticed that there was someone standing next to her as she was busy trying to shove her key into her door.

Sakuno almost jumped back in fright upon her late discovery. As far as she knew, she was the only resident in that apartment complex who occupies the fifth floor. The latest residents had moved out during the summer after graduating from college.

The maiden was staring wide-eyed at the stranger, frozen with one hand still holding up the key to the door's keyhole.

In contrast to her, the man just stood calmly. His hair, his white dress shirt, and his black suit pants were impeccably flawless, not a wrinkle in place, as if he never stepped outdoors at all. As if paying her no mind, he unlocked his door with efficiency and was about to push his door open to go inside his apartment when he noticed her prying eyes that were almost boring a hole through his skull.

He turned his head toward her and for the first time, their eyes met.

Golden hazel clashed against chocolate brown.

She shivered and suddenly forgot how to breath. His features, though only illuminated partially by a dim wall light, were literally breath-taking. He stood a good two or three feet taller than her. Silky green-tinted black hair, pale skin, well-defined jaws, perfect nose, and his eyes...his cold, cat-like eyes were what captivated her the most. They seemed like they could hypnotize a person if they stared at him for too long, which is what is basically happening to her at the moment.

After a few seconds, he was merciful enough to break his spell on her as his eyes shifted down to her outstretched hand.

"Your key is upside down."

His cool tone of voice barely registered in her mind before she saw him finally open his door and disappear within his apartment. She stood a few more seconds stupefied, staring at his shut door. And then, as if she received some kind of electric shock, she suddenly snapped back to life and realized with full-blown embarrassment what just happened.

 _So, she just met an incredibly hot guy, who most likely just moved in next door to her, and she just ruined his very first impression of her. Typical Sakuno..._

She let out a frustrated sigh, which briefly blew her bangs away from her forehead, before she leaned against her own door.

"Stupid keys and keyholes."

* * *

Sakuno saw him quite frequently after that, same time, and same place. She deduced that he also worked a job and had a shift that ended roughly the same time as hers and that is the reason why they often got back to the apartment at the exact same time. The auburn-haired girl thought it odd that she never saw him along the way or met him in the streets, however. He always arrived at his door just a few seconds after her.

She was slightly offended that he neither attempted to acknowledge her presence on his own nor start a conversation with her. As their routine continued during the first month, she tried to push through her shyness and opened her mouth a few times to start something. However, she often times stuttered at the first word, and by the time she was able to get the first word out, his door was already shut on her face.

It wasn't until two and a half months later when she's finally able to say a stable and quick enough "good evening" that managed to catch his attention. Sakuno was unnerved again when she found the same pair of hazel eyes staring at her, as if reading her soul. Her torture didn't last long though, for after a quick nod, he once again disappeared behind a closed door.

She was left sighing again, but didn't let the pathetic result of her efforts get her down. At least, he nodded at her. That's some form of acknowledgement, right?

It's not like she wanted to flirt with him or anything. She just really wanted to be friends. If they were going to live next to each other for a while and are most likely going to see each other as frequently as they do now, it wouldn't hurt to establish some kind of friendly relationship.

Time passed and nothing changed between them. Sakuno realized one night how little she really knew about her new neighbor. She doesn't even know his name for pete's sake! Biting her lip, she vaguely wondered if he'll even introduce himself if she inquired about him. One thing she's almost sure about is the fact that he must be Japanese like her. His features were recognizable enough. But how old was he? He doesn't look much older than her, he seems to be around her age if anything. If so, does that mean he also attends college? Or does he have a full-time job already? Where are his family and friends? Ever since he moved into the apartment next to her, she has never once seen a visitor appear in front of his door _—_ not even a postman, delivery man, or coworker.

Not that she was in any position to talk. She was pretty much in the same boat as him. Maybe that is one of the reasons why she finds herself drawn to her neighbor. Sakuno found some sort of comrade in him from their isolation together. She suddenly let out a light, self-deprecating laugh at how absurd she was being. It's most likely a product of loneliness. Yes, that must be it. She was so lonely that she was getting desperate enough to crave attention from a complete stranger.

At least one of her questions was partially answered when she saw the very same guy who has been plaguing her thoughts sitting at the back of her English Grammar class one day. As a Culinary Arts student, she didn't need much English credits fulfilled but since it's still a graduation requirement, she was forced to take it. Sakuno almost tripped on her way to her chair that morning. Her selected seat was unfortunately right next to his, and so she hesitated a bit as she was setting her things down on her desk.

To her relief and slight disappointment, her arrival didn't illicit any kind of response from him. He remained immobile, languidly resting his chin on one hand, as he stared at the window with his back partially turned toward her. The brunette found herself sighing again for the umpteenth time since she met him.

His class attendance was oddly irregular with him only coming to class about a third of the time. Sakuno deduced that he must be incredibly smart as he was still able to catch up in class and ace his exams even with such poor attendance. She was sure he should have noticed by now that the girl living next door to him also attends his morning Grammar class, but she suspected he either didn't care enough to notice it or is just plainly ignoring the fact for his own convenience.

Alas, for some time, she had no choice but to continue living next to a complete stranger, a man she knew nothing about.

* * *

"Ack," the brunette screamed as the flow of high-pressured water from a previously-clogged-but-now-burst pipe suddenly splashed her face and started to drench her and the area around her sink. Panicking, she exited her kitchen, wielding the wrench she tried to fix her plumbing with like a battle axe.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and she was inspired enough _—_ though more like foolishly brave enough _—_ to attempt to fix her plumbing on her own. She thought she could at least try to fix the problem, before she decides to go to a professional and spend some much-needed money to pay a plumber. Now she deeply regretted being stingy enough not to do just that.

She burst out of her apartment door, completely drenched from head to toe, and was planning to run to her landlady and plead for some assistance when she came face-to-face with none other than her handsome neighbor.

Naturally enough, what with her current appearance and the way she was holding up a wrench, the brunette wasn't surprised to find his hazel eyes staring at her as if questioning her sanity. He even raised a perfect brow to signify that she caught his attention enough to warrant an explanation.

"Ah—" Sakuno blushed all the way to the roots of her hair and immediately lowered the hand holding up a wrench. "I..." She stuttered and looked away from him, she couldn't stand seeing the way he was looking at her anymore. "I..."

She took a deep, shaky breath and continued, "The...the pipe under my sink just burst and now...now water's spilling everywhere and oh no! I really need some immediate help—"

She attempted to sidestep him, in an effort to dash away and find her landlady, but a firm tug on her arm stopped her.

"Wait here," were the simple words she heard from him before he disappeared into his own apartment. He came back seconds later holding a toolbox and a fluffy light blue towel. In the next instant, Sakuno blinked as she felt the soft fabric and the light weight of the towel on top of her head. She saw from her peripheral view that her neighbor had passed by her and gone into her apartment with his toolbox.

The brunette fidgeted outside her own door as she debated whether she should go in with him. After all, that was _her_ mess inside there that _he's_ most likely taking care of. What if he needed help trying to locate things in her apartment? As much as she wanted to assist him in trying to contain the monstrosity she's produced in there, her feet just wouldn't move. For some reason, she found it absolutely terrifying to be in the same room as her neighbor. And so, she remained rooted to her spot until the handsome stranger finally appeared at her door again.

Sakuno saw that his hair and his blue shirt got slightly wet from his labor. A few drops of water were trailing down his gorgeous face. She couldn't help but stare again.

"Just what exactly were you attempting to do with that?" he asked with some mild irritation, much to the brunette's surprise.

 _Wait a minute...he's actually talking to her? Like an actual normal conversation?_

She almost let her heart sing out loud in joy until she realized that his hazel eyes were glaring at the wrench in her hand, before the heat of his attention focused on her own brown orbs.

"Oh...I..." The flush in her cheeks was starting to become an automatic reaction to him much to her frustration. "I'm sorry...I thought I could fix it, I just attempted to loosen some screws to see if I can take a look at the inside of my plumbing, since it's clogged—"

"Without shutting off your water supply first?" he interrupted her ramblings.

"I—" She was more or less like a deer caught in the headlights as she realized her stupidity.

" _Che_ , never mind," he finally said and turned his gaze away from her. "It's fixed for the mean time." He was heading back to his own apartment when Sakuno suddenly called out to him.

"Um, wait just a second! You got wet because of me and I never got a chance to thank you, _monsieur_ —"

"Ara, Ryoma-kun, Sakuno-chan...how nice to see the two of you out at the same time," an older voice suddenly interrupted their conversation. They saw the form of their Japanese landlady walking over to them with a kind smile on her wrinkled face. Whether she noticed their current drenched state or she just chose to ignore it out of politeness was beyond them.

"I heard some commotion while I was speaking to Tanaka-san downstairs. Is everything alright?" she inquired with the smile still on her face.

 _'Ryoma...kun? So his name is Ryoma. He is Japanese after all, like I suspected'_ Sakuno thought distractedly, unconsciously stealing a glance at the man next to her, who didn't seem too bothered by the revelation of his name.

"Sakuno-chan?" the landlady asked, now slightly concerned. "Is everything alright?"

She immediately turned her head to the lady and bowed in apology. "Oh y-yes! S-sorry, that was my fault. I had some plumbing problems and R-R" the name felt foreign on her lips, "Ryoma-san was nice enough to help me with it," she finished unsteadily.

Hearing that the problem was actually solved, the landlady focused a beaming smile at the young man before her. "That was very gentlemanly of you, Ryoma-kun. Let me thank you on behalf of Sakuno-chan. I am glad to see you looking after a damsel in distress like a real man. Sweet actions from a dazzling man like you remind me of my late husband. He used to be as kind as you." The old lady's voice got a little emotional toward the end and she made the motion of dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Sakuno noticed that Ryoma's eyes had shifted briefly upon hearing the landlady's words, but he turned his face away so the older lady wouldn't notice it.

"It's nothing. I just didn't want it to flood all the way to my apartment," he said in an apathetic tone before he turned away and finally retreated into the privacy of his apartment.

The brunette was left standing in the hallway with the landlady, staring at his closed door. She clutched the fluffy towel that he had forgotten to take back from her as she let her mind be flooded with thoughts of her neighbor.

 _Ryoma... at least, now she knows his name._

* * *

 _Oh no, oh no. Please, please no._

She couldn't have possibly lost the only copy of her thesis paper that she has. That's just not acceptable. It's due the next day and she simply doesn't have the time and the energy to redo it from scratch. Not to mention, her grammar professor never accepts late work. She was sure to fail even if she managed to turn it in late.

Grabbing her purse, she scrambled out of her door, with one foot still trying to secure a flat shoe. The last time she saw her paper was when she was in the classroom. She had it laid out on her desk, since she was planning to have her professor look over it beforehand. As it turned out, the professor had to leave early so she never managed to go through with that plan. She was also in a rush to go to her part-time job since the proprietor had begged her to come in early that day. That's probably why she forgot to put it back in her bag when she left her class.

If anything, her paper should still be in the classroom. Maybe she can ask the night guard to open the door for her so she can grab it.

A distinct _ding_ resounded on the floor and she was about to dash into the elevator when a rustle of papers stopped her in her tracks and her vision was soon filled with something white. A quick glance up from the white material made her aware of the emotionless hazel eyes staring at her.

She barely had time to properly process what just happened when the stack of papers was shoved into her hands.

"You still have lots more to work on."

The words were said quietly, with a hint of cockiness, as Ryoma walked by her and proceeded to the hallway.

"H-huh?" was all Sakuno could utter as her beautiful doe eyes blinked in confusion. She finally had half the mind to inspect the stack of papers he roughly handed to her. The first page was her title page, which bore her thesis title and her name and class at the bottom.

 _Oh god, thank goodness._

The brunette's amber eyes closed in relief upon realizing that it was the very same paper she was panicking about. Her brows knitted in confusion, however, as she turned to the next page.

It was the same essay she had written, but now there were plenty of corrections in red ink all over her paragraphs. Reading the markings, she then realized that someone had proofread the paper and had written all their input and grammatical corrections to her essay.

Sakuno suddenly turned to the direction Ryoma had gone to.

 _He couldn't have possibly done this, could he?_

* * *

It was storming outside. The windows inside the old apartment were cluttering as they were mercilessly hit by the tempest wind.

The young lady was sitting on her couch in her pajamas, a warm blanket around her shoulders, as she clutched a mug of hot cocoa in one hand. Soft brunette hair was down and free to fall down her back. Her auburn eyes were glassy and staring absently at the comedy show she was barely watching in her modest living room.

It was the anniversary of her grandmother's death.

This day is always the hardest for her. For some reason, the pain of loneliness and isolation hits her the strongest during this day. It makes sense. It's a reminder of the day when her grandmother had left her on her own. She was the only family she had known her entire life–her only companion, her only real friend. Why in the world was she taken away from her when they had taken everything else? She never complained about the million things lacking in her life. The brunette girl had been happily grateful about the numbered blessings that she had received.

But when even that one most precious thing was cruelly ripped away from her, she can't help but feel like—

 _Knock, knock, knock._

The firm sound amidst the chaos of the storm outside snapped her out of her depressing thoughts. Only then did she realize that a tear had escaped from her eyes and had left a wet trail down her cheeks.

 _Oh no_ , _I'm crying._

She hastily wiped the tears in her eyes with the sleeve of her pajama shirt when she heard the offending sound again.

 _Knock, knock, knock_.

For crying out loud, it's almost midnight. Who in the world would visit her at this time? The only visitor she ever gets is the postman who delivers the envelope that contains the check with her monthly allowance and she highly doubted he's on duty at this time of the night.

Approaching her door, she asked with a slightly broken voice, "W-who's there?"

No answer. She tried to peek into the door's peephole but was unable to see who's on the other side. The person was most likely not standing directly across from the peephole.

"Who's there?" she repeated in a louder and clearer voice, just in case the person on the other side didn't hear her.

 _Knock, knock, knock._

That was the only reply that she received.

Maybe because she was in the worst mood possible or maybe because she simply didn't care what happened to her, she unlocked her door quickly and opened the door wide in frustration.

Her glassy eyes met the disapproving stare of her neighbor.

"You would open the door at this time of the night without knowing who's on the other side?" were his first words to her.

She was taken aback by his accusing tone and with her current mood, she couldn't help but answer back in her choked voice, "You would come to a girl's apartment at this time of the night, not reply when she asks for your identity, and castigate her when she still opens the door for you out of politeness?"

Her amber eyes shook as she tried to stare back at him. Something in her melancholy eyes made him break their staring contest and he turned his gaze to the interior of the apartment behind her.

"I wanted to check on that broken pipe."

"At this time?" she repeated softly, although her tone came out slightly incredulous.

"It's raining. It might be leaking."

She didn't say anything in reply to that and she can somewhat see the logic behind what he said, though it still sounded suspicious to her. Sakuno realized how unfair she was being. Maybe he was honestly just concerned about the broken pipe and that made him want to check on it, even at this time–though the thought of it was still ridiculous.

 _Just what exactly is going on inside this guy's head?_

Ah, she didn't know anymore. If anything, she was grateful for the distraction, though it came in a weird way. After not saying anything to each other for a minute or two and just standing at her doorway like that, she finally stepped away to give him room to pass by and he took the invitation without a word. A waft of fresh cedar, sandalwood, and something masculine reached her nose as he passed by her and made his way inside.

Sakuno belatedly realized that he didn't carry his toolbox with him. He wasn't even dressed like he was planning to check on plumbing. He was wearing his usual white dress shirt, with a third of the buttons undone from the top, which granted her a partial view of his well-built chest. His sleeves were rolled up to expose his forearms. A hand was inside his black suit pants while the other was clutching a glass bottle.

His alert cat-like eyes made a sweeping round of her apartment before he placed the bottle he was carrying on top of her living room table.

"A gift from an acquaintance," he stated. "'Seems like you need it more than I do."

When he only received a curious blink from her and he saw her staring at the bottle filled with questionable white substance, he sighed and felt the need to explain further.

"It's milk."

She blinked again and softy replied, "Okay?"

Ryoma fixed his collar and turned his face away. "It helps with sleep, specially if you warm it up."

The whole idea finally penetrated her clouded head and the crude thoughtfulness of it brought a warm flush that immediately reached her cheeks.

"O-oh..." she uttered, looking down at her slippers. "Thank you," she finished sincerely.

"Hn."

"..."

"..."

The brunette found herself playing with the edge of her sleeve during the uncomfortable silence. That was when she noticed that he had moved and was making his way back to the door. He opened it but before he stepped out, he paused to glance back at her.

"Next time, don't open the door."

And then it was safely shut after him.

Sakuno slumped down to the ground, still not fully comprehending what just happened. He was always surprising her like that and always managing to find a way to turn her world upside down just with his mere presence. She doesn't know how much of it she could take before she loses it.

The brunette's chocolate orbs suddenly found the glass bottle he left on her living room table. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to give the warm milk suggestion a try. Maybe then she could escape her depressing thoughts and slip into a dream world that was devoid of any kind of pain and suffering.

That was when she realized that Ryoma never did check on her plumbing.

* * *

That familiar scent—the scent of cedar, sandalwood, and musk—surrounded her senses before anything. She was still partially in her dream world, full of a mysterious man with hypnotizing hazel eyes when she felt a slight weight added on top of her body. The warmth that came with the weight actually had the calming effect on her instead of alarming her.

 _It felt so warm and nice...and just right, as if it belonged right next to her body_ _._

She almost wrapped her arms around that warm and nice thing, wanting to cuddle with it, when something suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes snapped wide open in alert. She was instantly awake, her instincts heightened in a sense of emergency.

"Mmmmphhhmmmmh!"

Her amber eyes were wide in panic as her scream got muffled by the hand that was securely covering her mouth.

In the darkness of her bedroom, she was able to make out intense cat-like eyes that were staring down at her.

"Mmpmphhh mmmphh," she continued to mumble and fruitlessly struggle out of his hold. His legs were straddling her body, keeping her pinned on the bed. His other arm was resting next to her head on the mattress to support part of his weight so he doesn't crush her.

"Shh," Ryoma hissed. "Listen closely," he whispered in a low voice that gave her shivers up and down her spine. She saw the glint of something metallic from her periphery and didn't need to turn her head to know that he was holding a gun in his free hand.

"If you don't want to die, you have to listen and do exactly as I say."

Needless to say, Sakuno felt her heart stop after hearing those words.

* * *

 **Vocabulary:**

 _Monsieur_ \- French title of respect, which corresponds to mister or sir in English

 **Author's Notes:**

*Takes a deep breath* Soooo...how is it so far? Let me know about your thoughts and reactions. I have a clear idea of how I want this story to end so it's not as lost on me as _The Island_. Hopefully, it won't take as long to write as _Danger in the Tennis Courts_ though, but I hope I will have fun writing it as well.

It's been a while since I played with characters from the _Prince of Tennis_ world. I missed Ryoma and Sakuno and the other casts, so I'm glad to get the chance to write a story about them again.

Please read and review. They fuel my writing spirit, trust me. And I love hearing from you guys as well.

Until next time~


	2. Chained

**Author's Notes:** And here we are at the next chapter. I am thanking those of you who have reviewed so far. Your reviews made me smile and gave me hope that I can still write something that amuses people. That is why I am able to publish chapters more quickly, since I get fired up by your reviews. _Buuurniiinggg!_ Hahah, I sound like Taka.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own anything.

* * *

 _ **Chapter II: Chained**_

 _"We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our path for a reason."_

―Kathryn Perez, _Therapy_

* * *

Sakuno continued to stare at him with frightened eyes, though she did stop struggling against him. Ryoma's expression was inscrutable as he held her gaze.

"Right now, there are at least seven skilled assassins surrounding your apartment. They'll be breaking in and coming for you within a minute or less," he hardened his eyes to indicate the severity of the situation, but allowed his tone to remain calm and low. "If you want to get out of this alive, I need you to stay lying down in bed, _no matter what happens_." He could almost hear the loud thump of her heart as her chest rose up and down in panic. She blinked a couple of times, desperately trying to calm down and trying to understand what he's saying at the same time. He thought that he should give her props for that.

"Got it?" Ryoma asked and was relieved when he saw the brunette nod eventually.

His honed ears caught the subtlest sound of footsteps approaching. His instincts made his body tense in alert. He remained still with his eyes looking from the corner of his eyes at the bedroom door, anticipating.

"Here they come," were the last rushed words he whispered to her before the chaos started. Her bedroom door was kicked open, the sound of shattering glass from her living room overpowering the sudden louder sound of the wind howling from the outside.

Sakuno couldn't exactly tell what happened after that, but within a split second, she felt Ryoma's weight lift off her as a dark figure approached them from the left. She heard the sickening crunch of bone hitting bone as her neighbor apparently managed to land an elbow straight into their first's assailant's face, immediately rendering him unconscious. Ryoma didn't waste a second as he aimed his gun toward another approaching figure and fired a shot that hit the man's neck.

The brunette closed her eyes and clamped her own mouth with her hand to prevent herself from letting out a scream from the fright. She heard two more deafening _bangs_ after that and couldn't resist opening her eyes, in fear of the possibility that Ryoma could've been shot as well.

She was relieved to spot Ryoma's figure, seemingly uninjured, with his gun still aimed at his latest opponent. Her peace of mind was short-lived as she saw another man clad in black approaching her neighbor from behind. Sakuno quickly sat up in panic to shout a warning, "Ryoma-san, watch out!"

Hearing her voice instantly alerted Ryoma of the attack and he managed to swivel around just in time to deliver a hard blow to the person's abdomen, knocking the wind out of the thug. "Stay in bed!" he shouted in the middle of his actions as his cat-like eyes spotted another assailant approaching Sakuno. He immediately fired his gun and hit the man straight in the middle of his forehead.

From his location at the dresser near the foot of the bed, Ryoma checked the brunette for any signs of injury and found her unharmed, except for the fact that she seemed to be in shock.

' _Good, she's okay...physically, at least,'_ the lad thought to himself, closing his eyes briefly, in what he didn't realize at the time was an actual feeling of relief.

"They're not dead," Ryoma explained out loud for the sake of the brunette's sanity. He knew that she wouldn't be able to handle a bloody show. "I used rock salt as bullets. They don't penetrate skin, but can land hard impacts that knock out enemies."

He then visually scanned the room for other intruders. One, two, three, four, five, six... Six... Wait a minute, there should be at least one more!

 _'Shit.'_

It was too late by the time he found the last intruder, who already had Sakuno in one of his arms by then, a gun pointed right at the girl's temple. Ryoma heard the man chuckle darkly, knowing all too well that they had won this battle. The assailant has the girl now.

"Drop your weapon," the thug ordered in a brusque tone as he found the younger boy glaring at him intensely. "I said drop your weapon, boy!" he repeated and pressed the muzzle of the gun harder into Sakuno's temple, earning a gasp of pain from the brunette. "Hah, unlike your sissy attempt, we don't load our guns with rock salt. There are real bullets in this baby over here...bullets that can easily blow your pretty girlfriend's brain out." The man's crooked teeth showed as he gave Ryoma a sadistic grin. "Wanna bet on it?"

Ryoma didn't ease his glare, though he did slowly open his hand and released the gun from the clutch of his hand. As soon as his weapon hit the ground, he felt thousands of volts of electricity coursing through his body, from what he assumed was a stun gun being used on him.

He let out a slight grunt and slowly fell to his knees.

Through hazy vision, the young man saw watery amber eyes, filled with alarm and worry, staring down at him as her sweet voice desperately called out his name. He finally dropped to the ground with a _thud,_ everything dissolving into a black abyss around him.

 _So there had been eight assailants, after all._

* * *

The noisy chatter and merry laughs of the goons celebrating their victory reached their cell loud and clear. Clinks of glasses of beer were heard as they toasted to their success and abandoned themselves to the numbing effects of the alcohol. There were at least ten to fifteen of them celebrating in that abandoned warehouse.

The hazel-eyed lad was sitting up, leaning against the wall with a knee up and an arm resting on that knee, quietly listening in to their conversations. Being used to the effects of a stun gun, he had managed to wake up much earlier than the goons' anticipated length of effect. He was relieved to see the form of the passed out girl right beside him, still seemingly unharmed and untouched, even though he found out soon that there has been a _new complication_ that arose in their current situation.

Even with his eyes trained on Sakuno, who was letting out soft and even breaths as she continued to slumber peacefully, the boy's full attention was on the thugs' words.

"What do you say we get a taste of that piece of artwork in that cell, eh? She's quite a cutie with a nice body too." He let out an appreciative whistle as he breached the topic with the group.

"Hahah, fool. Did you not see what happened to Felipe? Try to get close to the chick and that rabid dog guarding her in there would break your nuts too."

Ryoma had to secretly smirk at that one. He did enjoy rendering that pervert's reproductive organ useless when that bastard tried to touch the brunette beside him.

"Damn it, why can't we just put that dog down then? It'll be easy enough." A click resounded in the room as he released the safety of his gun to get his point across.

"The boss wanted to see him alive, remember? Probably impressed that he was able to take down six of our best. If you ask me, I bet he's one of us too, but with questionable allegiance."

"Who cares? How will we know if that girl is the one we're looking for though if we don't see her...you know..." a perverse chuckle escaped from this other goon before he continued, "... _her jugs_."

Ryoma narrowed his eyes upon hearing that.

"Idiot. The address was correct and the descriptions matched her. Long brown hair and brown eyes, remember? Even if we don't confirm that other thing, that's not our problem. We're just following orders to grab the girl from that address and to deliver her to the boss. And don't forget, the boss clearly wanted her _alive and untouched_ too."

"Ah, that's a bunch of bull." Half of the goons groaned in agreement, while the rest continued to argue.

The young man inside the cell was deep in thought when he heard light shuffling beside him that was soon followed by a soft groan.

His companion was awake.

* * *

She woke up with a pounding headache, as if she had one of those bad hangovers she's heard so much about. Funny, because Sakuno never really drinks alcohol. If anything, she's probably only had a sip of alcohol at the most in her life. Her blurry vision gradually focused and she found herself staring at a dingy concrete wall. She pushed herself to sit up and made the motion of rubbing her eyes with her right hand when she heard the distinct sound of metal clinking and rattling as she made her movements.

"Huh?"

She looked down and saw a glinting silver handcuff securely fastened around her right wrist.

"You're finally awake," an apathetic voice uttered from her right.

As she glanced and recognized the boy sitting next to her, the events from the previous night slowly returned to her foggy mind.

* * *

"R-Ryoma-san! Oh no, are you injured? How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere? Please tell me―"

"Stop freaking out. I'm alright," he felt the need to cut her off before she has the chance to pull a twenty questions game on him.

Sakuno had scrambled closer to him in an effort to personally reassure herself that her neighbor didn't sustain any injuries. After all, she had seen him get attacked with that stun gun and fall to the floor...and that was because he protected her.

Her worries were easily disregarded, however, as the boy she was worried sick about suddenly gripped her arm.

"Tell me what they want from you," Ryoma interrogated in a cold tone, his eyes staring at her as if she's some criminal. The brunette felt like his cold stare hurt more than the iron grip he has on her arm at the moment.

"I- I don't know..." she hesitantly replied, her chocolate orbs shaking as they stared back at him.

"There's no way you don't know. Even _you_ can't be dumb enough not to know what members of a mafia would want from you."

Sakuno's eyes widened at the mention of the word. "M-mafia?"

"Don't play dumb!" he half-hissed at her as his grip tightened.

This time, she can't help but let out a gasp of pain, which suddenly snapped the boy out of it, and he immediately released her arm as if burned.

There was silence between the two of them, with only the sounds of the merrymaking of the goons outside echoing through their cell.

Sakuno gently rubbed the arm that he had gripped and glanced down at her legs.

"I..." she bit her bottom lip and restarted. "I really don't know what's going on, Ryoma-san. And I don't know how to make you believe me, but please, trust me on this one," she turned her pleading amber eyes on him. Ryoma felt a little unnerved when he met those innocent eyes. "I really don't know what's going on, why those men appeared in my apartment, why this is happening..." she sighed in frustration.

The lad suddenly felt really guilty about how he just acted. She seemed like she was telling the truth too.

"Not to mention," she continued. "You're the one who seemed to know that they were coming. You were already in my room before they attacked. How did you know that?"

Now, it was his turn to be interrogated. In retrospect, he knew he shouldn't have chewed her out like that. It's not like she was the only one keeping secrets between the two of them. But he also knew that he didn't owe her any explanations and he wasn't willing to give any to her at this moment.

" _Che_ , I guess this has been a waste of time," he finally stood up and the rattling of a metallic chain resounded in the cell. "I let them get us into this mess for nothing." He didn't gain the information he was hoping to gather from those goons. Ryoma should've known better. People at the bottom of the organization would less likely know what their boss' real motives are. All they do is receive orders and carry them out without asking questions―like a bunch of mindless puppets with strings attached.

 _But really, who was he kidding? How is he any different from them?_ His right fist suddenly clenched at the thought.

Beside him, the poor girl was having difficulties processing what the boy just said. "L-let them... get us into this mess?"

She gasped, suddenly stood up, and unconsciously grabbed Ryoma's clenched hand. "Ryoma-san, you mean you allowed them to capture us on purpose?"

Her warm touch had the effect of negating his thoughts and he suddenly found himself focusing on the girl before him. He shook her hand away.

' _There are seriously girls as innocently naive as her? Unbelievable...'_

Ryoma was about to say something sarcastic to her when he heard her gasp again, but this time louder.

"Ryoma-san, you...you have a handcuff too! Ah...but it's on your left wrist."

"Hn. They probably saw that I was left-handed during the scuffle, so that's why they planned to give me a handicap to prevent me from escaping," he uttered lazily, wondering when she will catch on to the _real_ issue. Maybe he needs to correct his previous statement. _There's no way there are other girls out there who can possibly be as naive as her_.

"Oh...I see," she blinked and then had the mind to raise her right wrist to show that she had a handcuff too.

Ryoma watched her expression with his golden hazel eyes intently, anticipating the moment when she'd _finally_ realize.

"A-ahhhh!" she suddenly shrieked, realizing what the boy had realized hours ago. In her defense, her mind might've been too preoccupied to notice it, but for sure, now that they're both standing like this, she's bound to realize any time now. A metallic rattling was heard again as she moved her handcuffed limb this way and that.

"R-Ryoma-san! Our handcuffs...they're...they're..."

"Connected," he calmly finished for her. "I know, so stop tugging too much."

"S-sorry. But then how―"

"The metal chain connecting us is at least two feet in length, they were kind enough to allow us that advantage," the lad muttered dryly.

"B-but―"

"Don't worry," he gave her a gorgeous, cocky smirk that made her heart skip a beat. "I'm ambidextrous. This is not a problem for me."

The brunette just stared at him in amazement, admiring his ability to stay calm and remain in control even in situations like this. She vaguely wondered exactly who her neighbor really is. Granted, she's a little slow, but she's not completely dumb. She had seen him fend off six skilled assassins back in her room single-handedly, while barely breaking a sweat. There's no way an ordinary man can perform such a feat.

Sakuno started to feel this little budding feeling of doubt, bred by suspicion, beginning to implant itself somewhere in her chest. However, she chose to squash the feeling and make sure it didn't feed off on anything that'll allow it to grow. Yes, for now...she'll choose to trust in Ryoma. She just hopes with all her heart that her trust in him doesn't get betrayed.

"Anyway, that's not what I'm more concerned about at this time," his sentence distracted the brunette from her musing.

The auburn-haired girl cutely tilted her head as Ryoma grabbed the chain between them and held it so Sakuno can see the little rectangular box that was in the exact middle of the chain, connecting the two. She didn't notice it earlier, thinking that it was simply part of the chain.

When Ryoma turned the box over so its front was facing her, she suddenly found herself staring at a red LED display, which contained numbers that changed almost every minute.

46:14

46:13

46:12

She gasped, finally realizing what it was. The doe-eyed maiden glanced at Ryoma, begging him to please say it isn't so. Unfortunately, her neighbor didn't catch her pleading eyes as he was busy staring at the glowing numbers.

"Yeah, it's a timed bomb. And if we don't get our handcuffs off by the time it turns to 00:00, both of us will be blown to bits."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

I just realized how much RyoSaku interaction this story has compared to my other stories. Oh well, I love these two. I'm itching to have them interact with the others soon though. Maybe in the next or next, next chapter?

Please, please review. It gets pretty lonely here without someone to talk to, lol~


	3. The Chase

**Author's Notes:** And onward to chapter three~ Hello again, my dear friends. Thank you for the kind words from last chapter. I can't tell you how helpful they are in encouraging me to continue this little story. I hope you all have great holidays~ Enjoy this season of giving.

 **Disclaimer:** Nope, I still don't own anything.

* * *

 _ **Chapter III: The Chase**_

 _"Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction."_

—Alice Hoffman, _Practical Magic_

* * *

Amidst the loud snores of their intoxicated comrades, two of the most serious members in the group stood guard as the clock struck four o'clock in the morning.

"When will they come for those two?" uttered the bulkier one, a hint of impatience in his tone.

"They will come before that timer runs out. The boss said he'll even send one of his personal guards to get them."

Some shuffling was heard as the man shifted his weight from one foot to another. His movements indicated the discomfort he felt being so close to a ticking timed bomb. "What if they don't come during that time? Even _we_ don't know how to diffuse that bomb! We'll all be burned little globs of flesh in no time!"

The leaner group member was quiet, but the slight frown that marred his forehead indicated that he shared his comrade's worry. Only he and his partner, the leaders of this group of ruffians, knew about the bomb attached to the handcuffs of their prisoners.

It was the boss who sent them the package with the equipment and a letter. The instructions he received in the letter were very succinct. They were to put the handcuffs on their prisoners, one on the left hand of the boy and the other on the girl's right hand. A timer will start to count down as soon as the handcuffs were placed. The boss will send for a guard to retrieve the two before the timer runs out. They were to neither touch the prisoners nor harm them in any way until that time.

The lean goon understood the logic behind handcuffing the girl to the boy. In that way, the boy wouldn't be able to freely move, having the girl as a handicap. Based on the skills they witnessed the boy perform back in that old apartment, they were sure it would be an easy feat for him to figure out a way to escape that cell in no time. But with the girl tagging along, they know that he wouldn't be able to move with as much freedom. He would have to drag the girl everywhere with him, lest he risk setting off the bomb, specially since its mode of operation remains as a mystery—even to the goons—at this time.

His thoughts were then turned to the timed bomb. It was most likely added as a form of insurance so the boy will comply to remain in the cell and not mess with picking the lock of the handcuff until the boss retrieves them. After all, the boss is the only one who knows how the bomb operates. Their prisoner should be smart enough not to foolishly attempt to mess with their restraint. In other words, the boy would have no choice but to obediently wait in the cell unless he wants to risk his life _and_ the life of the girl beside him.

 _Though the boss implied that he wanted them both_ _alive..._

That's what he doesn't understand. Is their boss gambling his chance of winning? He wouldn't put it past his sadistic boss to do that. Sometimes, he doesn't understand how the mind of such a man works. Maybe he was just looking for some entertainment like he usually does, in his own twisted kind of way.

His answer to his comrade came belatedly. "They'll come," he reassured both himself and his partner. "We'll just have to wait until—"

 ** _Booom!_**

The ruffian leader didn't get to finish his sentence as a loud explosive noise almost deafened them. Dust and small chunky parts of cement that used to be the wall were thrown their way and they had to duck under the table for cover. Their drunken comrades were suddenly woken up, disoriented, as they tried to figure out in their intoxicated state of mind what in the world just happened.

In contrast to them, the lean goon instantly recognized the cause of the explosion. The first thought that came to his mind was that the timed bomb had prematurely exploded. However, his gut instinct was telling him that it was worse than that.

Once their surroundings had stabilized a little, he scrambled up from under the table and rushed to the remnants of the small room where they kept their prisoners. His instinct was proven right when he found no traces of their prisoners anywhere in the ruined cell.

Instead, a gaping hole in the wall was staring at him as he stood there stupefied.

 _'Damn that brat!'_

* * *

The poor brunette was struggling to catch her breath as she tried with all her might to catch up to Ryoma. Everything was happening too fast that she's barely getting the time to process anything.

She vaguely remembered Ryoma dragging her to a far corner of their cell before the green-eyed lad started messing with his wristwatch. To Sakuno, it seemed like he was winding up the dial as if he was simply adjusting the time. Then, he threw the watch against the far wall on their opposite side.

The next thing she encountered was a blinding flash and a booming sound. She felt her neighbor's warm arms around her as he turned his back to the explosion and shielded her with his body from the tiny bits of concrete that flew around them.

Once everything settled, he then grabbed her arm and sprinted to an unknown direction.

"R-Ryoma-san...w-where are we going?" she couldn't help but ask the man as they continued to run.

Her obvious question was met with silence. Once they reached a good hiding spot behind a pile of crates in the area, her companion threw a quick glance at their surroundings.

From Sakuno's left side, she can see a good view of the ocean in the dark. The cool breeze coming from the ocean was a nice refresher after being cooped up in the cell and she couldn't help but take a few deep breaths of the fresh air. It would seem as if they were in some sort of harbor as she can also discern a few large ships moored in the area, as well as crates that littered the ground.

"Good, we're still in France," Ryoma finally spoke.

"W-we are?" she questioned hesitantly. How he was able to discern their location from their dim surroundings was beyond her. He either has a really good knowledge of geography or he's very familiar with shady locations such as this. She didn't want to dwell too much over the possibility of that latter part.

Luckily, Ryoma didn't give her the luxury of time to think.

"We need to keep moving," were his quiet words to her before he dragged her off to another direction. She instinctively glanced at the little box in the middle of the chain connecting them as they were running.

 _How will they be able to get these chains off before the timer runs out if they're barely getting enough time to catch their breaths?_

* * *

"R-Ryoma-san, _please_ , please don't tell me that we're stealing a car."

Sakuno stood uncomfortably next to Ryoma as he was jamming a wedge of angled wood into the top part of the driver's side window to make a slight opening. He then used a crow bar and slid it into the opening to reach and press the unlock button on the driver's side. Sakuno stiffened when she heard the distinct sound of the car door being unlocked then Ryoma threw away the materials he found in the area—which was nice and convenient since they were in a shipping harbor where hardware tools were left lying around to be used in opening and sealing crates.

"Okay, I won't," was his sarcastic reply to her as he dragged Sakuno to the other side of the car and opened the now unlocked passenger door. Ryoma proceeded to climb into the passenger side then jump over to the driver's side. He then reached out to grab Sakuno's arm and pulled the hesitant brunette into the passenger side before closing the door after her. It was one of those European cars in which the driver's side is on the right side, instead of the other way around. This way, he'll be able to drive the car even while his left hand remained linked to the brunette.

Ryoma had chosen a black 1990 Mercedes Benz parked among other cars in the harbor. He thought it was old enough to easily hot wire. Not to mention, it looked like one of those goons' trademark vehicle. If that's the case, he's bound to find hidden weapons inside the car that he'll be able to use in case of an emergency.

 _Bingo_.

A quick search in the glove's compartment revealed a silver .357 Magnum handgun. It glinted in the dim light as Ryoma checked to make sure that it's loaded with bullets before tucking it in the waistband of his pants for safe retrieval later. Wasting no time, he then began the process of hot wiring the car. Within minutes, they heard the car's engine roar back to life.

Beside the hazel-eyed boy, the nervous brunette was still completely flustered over the idea of actually stealing someone else's property.

"Ryoma-san, we can't be doing this. This is against the law. We can't—" she suddenly stopped short when she heard the noisy metal rattling of their chain and felt Ryoma lean over toward her from the driver's side. He was dangerously close to her, their faces only inches apart as they stared at each other.

Sakuno's fight or flight response was activated in no time. She tried to lean back against her own seat and slide down slightly to get as much space in between them as possible.

Golden hazel eyes didn't leave her as their owner leaned even closer to decrease the little space she created between them. Sakuno's heart was pounding so loud and so fast that she felt like even Ryoma could hear its violent thumping.

"We can't what?" he whispered in a low voice, completely devoid of emotions.

Sakuno swallowed as her treacherous eyes involuntarily slid down from Ryoma's eyes to his perfect lips. Her own lips quivered, trying to come up with a response to his question— _wait, what did he even ask her again?_ —when he decided to move.

She couldn't help but shut her eyes in instinct as she saw Ryoma closing in the distance between them.

 _Oh god...is he going to k_ — _?_

 **Click.**

' _Eh_?'

By the time she opened her eyes, Ryoma was safely back in the driver's seat, his face looking forward as he maneuvered the wheel with one hand and the gear switch knob with the other.

"Your seat belt was undone."

That was his simple explanation as she belatedly glanced down and found that he had deftly put the offending strap across her upper body and on her lap during the time she spent fantasizing about him. She didn't even notice his movements as she was so busy being sucked into his eyes.

Sakuno was completely embarrassed that she wanted the ground to open up, swallow her, and never return her to the face of the earth again.

The hazel-eyed lad stole a glance at the brunette as the car sped into the highway. She kept her still-flushed face turned to the window, desperately avoiding his eyes.

 _'Good, that shut her up.'_

* * *

They had just entered the outskirts of Paris when Ryoma spotted three black cars from the rear view mirror tailing them a few meters away.

'Tch, already?' he thought in annoyance as he mentally visualized the streets of Paris, quickly formulating a plan on how to lose their pursuers.

Sakuno threw a questioning glance at Ryoma as he stepped on the gas pedal, urging the car to move faster than it already was traveling.

"Hang on tight, we've got company," he warned her before he made an unexpected swerve into an alley.

* * *

The sound of the cars zooming in the high-speed chase resounded in the empty Parisian streets at dawn. It didn't take long before one of the pursuers got impatient and started firing shots at the car they were following.

Ryoma managed to swerve the car in time to avoid the hit, however the succeeding fires were too much for a car to avoid and some bullets managed to hit the rear windshield, successfully shattering the glass window into shards.

The brunette let out a scream when the glass broke. Ryoma placed a hand on top of her head and instructed her to duck and keep her head low as he tried to turn to another side street to prevent further direct hits.

Those thugs must be getting angrier and more desperate if they were willing to hit their targets for the sake of recapturing them. He needed a way to lose them now.

When they got back to one of the main streets and were still relentlessly being pursued, Ryoma suddenly swerved to the left, directly crossing the opposing traffic where a large truck was quickly approaching them. The loud desperate honk of the truck reverberated followed by the ear-splitting screeching of the break. A loud collision occurred within a second, followed by a huge explosion.

The black Mercedes barely dodged the collision and Ryoma was relieved to see from the rear view mirror that one of other cars following them is now being consumed by fire and smoke.

The hazel-eyed lad then guided the car down a set of stairs to put more distance between him and the remaining cars. Sakuno tried her best to hold on to her seat and the side handle to keep herself in place as the car mercilessly juggled them inside.

"R-Ryoma-san!" she couldn't help but shout out in desperation. She doesn't know how much more she could take. She only has one heart to spare and it has been constantly driven to overwork mode since the time she met the handsome man beside her.

"Listen, I need you to grab the wheel for a few seconds," he told her calmly, shooting her a quick glance from the sides of his eyes. The car entered the highway again after turning right from another street.

"W-what?" she questioned in a high-pitched tone right away. "But Ryoma-san, I've never driven before, there's no way I can!"

Not even a minute after they reappeared in the highway, the remaining black cars were seen tailing them from a few feet behind.

"I just need five seconds. You just need to hold the wheel and keep it steady. I'll handle the rest," this time, Ryoma allowed her a full view of his gorgeous face as he turned to look at her. His silky green-tinted black hair fluttering in the strong wind made him look even more dashing. "Can you do that?"

Her shaky auburn eyes sought courage from his confident hazel ones and she found herself giving him a hesitant nod in no time. "I trust you," she mumbled quietly, but it was loud enough for him to hear.

Ryoma's eyes widened a fraction, slightly taken aback by the words. In his entire life, only a few individuals had uttered those specific words to him. He found that he needed to turn away from those chocolate eyes to lessen the intensity of the sudden tight feeling in his chest.

 _He didn't have time to deal with that right now._

There are two cars left and they had started firing again, this time, managing to shatter the glass window on the driver's side. He held up an arm to block the shards from hitting his face.

 _'Damn it, we're running out of time. Here goes nothing.'_ The lad then stepped on the gas pedal, pushing it down all the way to the floor of the car.

When their car gained the most distance as it could gain from the pursuing vehicles, Ryoma suddenly turned the wheel all the way around, maneuvering the car to do a complete 180 degrees turn. The sound of the tires screeching almost deafening him and the brunette.

When the car had completed its turn, they were directly heading into the two vehicles, coming at them at full speed.

"Grab the wheel now," were Ryoma's words to her, as he put the car in cruise control to keep the speed. He then grabbed the gun at his waistband and slid half of his body out the window, facing the other cars.

Sakuno swallowed as her trembling hands tried to keep the wheel steady. She couldn't help but wince as the oncoming bullets from the thugs continued to rain, now hitting their front windshield, though not managing to shatter it completely.

Steadying his new found weapon in his grip, Ryoma aimed the handgun at one of the coming cars. It was fortunate that the metal chain was long enough to allow him this much movement. He needed both hands for this, specially since he only has time for one shot.

One shot...

 _Only one shot,_ _so he had to make it count_.

The wind relentlessly attacked his hair and his face as the speed of the car remained unchanged.

As soon as his hazel eyes locked in the target, he pressed the trigger of the gun with his forefinger and fired.

The golden bullet zipped through the air until it landed and embedded itself in the right front tire of one of the cars. The damaged car sped out of control, managing to hit the other car beside it.

In a matter of seconds, both cars skidded to the side of the road before their engines exploded in smoldering fire and smoke.

Ryoma returned to the driver's seat. He regained control of the wheel from a shaken Sakuno, and turned their car back the other way again.

Under the breaking dawn, the black Mercedes sped away from the collision until it completely disappeared from view.

* * *

"As we predicted, the boy managed to escape unharmed with the girl," a man with brown hair and straight across bangs reported to the man sitting at the mansion's porch, clad in a white formal business suit, as he calmly sipped tea from a cup.

The reporter's eyes were mysteriously kept closed, even as he faced his close friend and their organization's leader.

"Is that so?" were their leader's words, uttered with a hint of amusement as he gave his friend an ethereal smile. His chin-length, navy blue wavy hair shone under the early sun's light rays.

"Where are they now?"

At this prompting, the man with the brown hair set a portable GPS tracking device on top of the table before their leader. It emitted a constant light beeping noise as it displayed a red dot that was slowly moving in the map on its screen.

"Based on their recent course of movements, it is most probable to assume that they are heading to the hills," the brunette man softly replied.

The leader watched the blinking red dot on the screen in silence.

 _Switzerland._ Of course, they would head there. They had also predicted that.

Having most of their assumptions proven correct confirmed another suspicion that he had. Some powerful people must indeed be protecting the girl and that's why it has taken this long for clues about her whereabouts to get in their hands.

His light musing was interrupted by his companion. "What's your next move, Seiichi?"

Seiichi Yukimura turned his eyes to glance at the garden beyond the porch. In the distance, two birds flew down and settled on a branch of a parasol pine tree, resting their tired wings from the flight.

"You should give _him_ a call," Yukimura responded before taking another sip from his tea cup. "Tell him that he'll be receiving visitors soon and it's only proper to prepare a _warm_ welcome for his guests."

Renji Yanagi, the brown-haired man, bowed before the leader, acknowledging the order. A passing glance was sent to the digital timer located at the bottom right of the GPS screen.

 _39:15..._

 _39 hours left before the fireworks._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So that's the third chapter. Did I mention how much I hate writing action scenes? They're the bane of my existence. Hahah~ I hope I didn't butcher them so bad. Also, that forced car opening scene is included in here for the sake of the story only. It's from the lifehacker website, but please don't use it for unlawful purposes.

In any case, to answer some of your questions. I really have no idea how long this story will end up being, but I do know how I want it to end. So I hope you continue to support me for the rest of the story.

I also hope the purpose of the timed bomb is explained a little more in this chapter, for that one wonderful reader who wanted a little more clarification on that.

 _Hasta la vista, babies_ ~ Please read and review.


	4. Ice Breaker

**Author's Notes:** Christmas is fast approaching again. Are you guys excited? I am excited. I remember that it was also during Christmas and New Year when I finally finished writing _Danger in the Tennis Courts_. It was such a wonderful feeling to complete a long story. I hope I am able to do it again. Anyway, chapter four already? Hahah~ Things are moving fast.

As usual, thank you to those of you who reviewed, specially the ones who constantly leave ones. I tip my hat off to you guys.

* * *

 **Chapter IV: Ice Breaker**

 _"You've built your wall so high that no one could climb it.  
_ _But I'm gonna try."_

—Labrinth, _Beneath Your Beautiful_

* * *

"Did you get everything you needed?"

Sakuno paled at the question. The answer to that is exactly the root of her dilemma right at the moment.

"U-um, actually..." she trailed off uncertainly, not knowing exactly how to give him the reply yet.

About half an hour ago, Ryoma had parked their beaten up car a block away from a modest department store. The boy had mentioned how he would've preferred to grab supplies from a nondescript convenient store, but since they also needed to get warm clothes for their next destination, he thought it would save them more time if they just made one stop and get everything they needed at a department store.

She and her neighbor were walking side by side as they walked past stores in the mall. On Ryoma's right hand are a few shopping bags that contained their new clothes, toiletries, and other supplies. It was a good thing that his card case, which contained his credit cards, remained untouched in his back pocket when they were captured. This enabled them to have some form of money for their needs.

Their metal chain and their handcuffed hands were covertly hidden inside the big side pocket of a black trench coat that Ryoma was currently wearing. Obviously, they would attract attention if they walked around in public with handcuffs. They found the large trench coat inside the car's trunk when they were scavenging the vehicle for other useful supplies before they headed to the mall.

Ryoma's and Sakuno's hands weren't linked inside the pocket, but since the space was quite small, the back of their hands were definitely touching. This contributed to the discomfort the brunette was feeling. She vaguely wondered how they looked like from an outsider's point of view—what with them walking super close and sticking to each other like that.

Sakuno couldn't help but slightly redden at the thought. Of course, other people would probably think that they were some kind of—

"Hey, you two lovebirds!" a bright and overly cheery voice suddenly called out from their left, before Sakuno felt herself getting tugged to the inside of a store. As Ryoma was attached to her, he unwillingly had to follow after the brunette.

It was then that they realized that the store they were brought into had purple and pink neon lights and had the sign **_Lovers_** ostentatiously displayed at the back of the store.

The perky saleslady who dragged them in started speaking to them animatedly. "I know exactly what can make your night _oh so lively_. We have multiple toys that you guys can try in this section," she said with a naughty smile as she motioned to some scandalously displayed equipment, most of which Sakuno didn't know what for _and_ didn't want to know how to use.

"Or maybe you guys are into certain kind of role-plays?" The staff inquired feigning an innocently curious tone. "In that case, these handcuffs and these whips are very popular nowadays."

Ryoma was itching to grab his gun from his waistband. One shot and he can easily incapacitate the blabbermouth. Then, they wouldn't have to listen to another junk that comes out of her mouth. They can't even take off the handcuffs they have on right now. What makes this lady think they would want another one?

Sakuno, on the other hand, had gradually turned into different shades of red as the other woman kept talking. She kept her eyes low, trying not to look at the different sizes of _ahem_ models that were directly in front of her vision. And just when she thought the torture couldn't get any worse, she and her neighbor got pulled to another section of the store.

"Oh, I see. I see. Your girlfriend is quite the innocent one, isn't she, _monsieur_? Ahh, how cute!" the lady fawned over the permanently scarred Sakuno. "Then I have just the perfect thing for you lovebirds. We just got these styles of lingerie this morning. Most of them are super cute."

Browsing through a couple of lacey and semi-transparent thin layers that she actually called _clothes_ , she started picking ones for Sakuno. "Does your lover boy over there like laces? Ribbons or strings? What color does he like on you? Red or black?" She started to put the bras in front of Sakuno to visualize how it would look like on her.

"U-um..." Sakuno weakly protested.

"Want some push-ups to give them a lift?" She glanced down at Sakuno's chest but then plastered a playful grin on her face. "Oh, but I don't think you need any help to make them bigger. You're kind of well-endowed already. If we make them look any bigger, your boyfriend might—"

"We're going," Ryoma muttered stiffly before he literally grabbed Sakuno out of the place. For some reason, he was suddenly power walking away from that cursed store.

Sakuno tried her best to keep up with him. " _A-ano_...um..." she began, but Ryoma was either not listening or plainly ignoring her. He kept looking straight ahead, not willing to give her a complete look of his face.

"Ryoma-san..." she tried again, and when it failed, she actually grabbed one of his arms gently with her free hand in order to stop him.

"What?" was Ryoma's immediate question as he turned to her with a slight glare.

 _Oh god, how is she going to bring this up now right after what just happened?_

But she figured that this might be her only chance. They can't afford to lose any more time, so it's now or never.

"I..." She bit her bottom lip, looked down, and shut her eyes so she doesn't have to see his reaction.

"I do need to get some underwear..."

 _Goddammit all._

* * *

The drive to the motel was awkwardly silent.

After she finally told him the other thing that she needed, Ryoma stoically dragged her to the women's department so she can buy what she needed. There was no way in heck they were going to get her underwear from _that_ store.

He told her to choose quickly while he turned away and waited. Unfortunately for both of them, he couldn't just walk away while she chose from the selection. After a minute or two, she ended up going for a matching set of pink bra and panties, which were adorned by simple white ribbons on top.

Their plan was to get a quick shower and eat some food at an unknown motel, before they head up to the Swiss Alps. According to Ryoma, a well-known bomb specialist has his base of operations up in the mountains and that is where they were headed.

That was why they needed to grab some warm clothes. They will be braving the snowy mountain.

Again, she couldn't help but wonder how Ryoma knows such information.

As they arrived at the parking lot of the motel and Ryoma shifted the gears with the knob, another thought hit Sakuno that suddenly drained all the color from her heart-shaped face.

Wait, shower.

They need to shower...

She and Ryoma...

How are they going to shower with their hands linked like this?

* * *

"T-they're all off now."

"..."

"So p-please don't turn your head this way."

"...Hn."

With that simple grunt from her companion, Sakuno slowly stepped into the tub and slid the shower curtain closed after her. The rattling of the chain echoed in the small bathroom that she and Ryoma were currently in. Despite the cold air that hit her bare skin when she took her clothes off, Sakuno's entire body was completely flushed—though more like from self-consciousness. She has never even spent more than an hour alone with another man in the same room in her life, and now, she was suddenly forced to be _naked_ with another man in the same room.

Their circumstances were understandable, but that didn't help with the embarrassment.

He was gentleman enough to offer her the comfort of taking the shower first. They were able to separately use the toilet with one person at the outside of the door earlier, since the toilet was conveniently located close to the bathroom door. However, the shower tub was farther and their chain didn't provide enough length for the other person to be completely outside the room. So in order for them to use the shower, they both had to be completely inside the bathroom.

Due to the fact that one of their arms was connected to the other, they also had the problem of how to get clothes on and off. With the trench coat earlier, they ended up cutting the length of the sleeve with scissors and using safety pins to remake the sleeve. They had no choice but to just cut their dirty tops off and discard them. They will also need to cut and remake the sleeves of their new clothes, but what can they do? It's better than having dirty clothes on or being half-naked.

Being chained to each other is definitely causing a lot of bother to both of them. Needless to say, they couldn't wait until they get those darn chains off of them.

As the hot water started to run from the shower head, Sakuno couldn't help but steal a glance at Ryoma's form through the white shower curtain. Only the outline of his form was visible, but she can tell that he was dutifully keeping his back on her and not moving even a tiny bit from his spot.

She was done rinsing the shampoo from her waist-length auburn hair and was busy watching Ryoma's still form that she wasn't really looking when she squeezed the conditioner into her palm. As a result, the contents ended up spilling on the floor of the tub, and she just had the luck of stepping into that slippery little puddle.

In the next moment, Ryoma heard a female shriek, followed by a firm tug on his left hand from the chain, and then the heavy _thud_ of something landing on the bath tub. He half-turned his body to check on the girl, but he realized the situation they were currently in and froze instead.

" _Oi, daijobu ka?_ " He was too focused on the condition of the girl that he barely noticed that his native language had slipped out of his tongue.

Sakuno was wincing in pain, her bottom was currently tender and throbbing from the fall, but she had the mind to assure the boy on the other side of the shower curtain. "Y-yes! I'm...okay," she weakly muttered. "Sorry...P-please keep turning the other way!"

Ryoma visibly let out a sigh, though she saw him hesitate before he turned his back on her again.

The hazel-eyed lad closed his eyes as he heard her slow movements, trying to stand back up again.

'Tch, what a klutz.'

* * *

Ryoma was drying his wet hair with a towel when he settled down in the chair near the bed. Sakuno was sitting on the edge of the bed, working on a barely eaten sandwich in one of her hands when he broke the silence.

"We need to talk."

The doe-eyed maiden focused her attention on him. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Oh...okay."

Ryoma slouched forward on the chair and rested his elbows on his knees as he met her eyes.

"You really don't know what they want from you?"

She shook her head, unconsciously remembering the accusatory tone he used on her while they were locked up in the cell earlier.

"Anything at all? Money you owe, jewelries, connection to the black market?"

The brunette just kept shaking her head at his interrogation.

"How about your family?" At this question, Sakuno unconsciously stiffened. Her family wasn't really a nice conversation topic for her. Noticing this, Ryoma kept going. "Do your parents owe them something? What do they do?"

She stopped shaking her head, but didn't really have an answer to give him. She barely remembered her parents.

"Is there anything strange you inherited or own that has puzzled you or you thought was weird?"

This time, something did cross her mind, but the flurry of questions subsequently thrown at her suddenly reminded the brunette of the unfairness of the situation. She had thousands of questions for him too. It's not fair that he's the only one who's interrogating her. If anything, he's the more suspicious one between the two of them.

Breaking into a car, hot wiring, knowing how to expertly handle handguns, extensive knowledge of geography, his fighting skills...

"Ryoma-san, c-can I ask you some questions too?" she meekly inquired.

She saw the lad next to her straighten his sitting posture and look away. He didn't give her a reply, but she continued.

"W-who are you? Why...why do you know how to use guns and how to fight like that?"

Silence.

Sakuno found herself clenching her fist at this silent treatment. He had no problem asking her millions of personal questions and yet, he refused to give her at least one important answer.

"It's not just you who suddenly got dragged into all of this. I was too and it's really frustrating being in the dark about all of this," she tried to make her case.

"..."

"Ryoma-san—"

"That's none of your business," he suddenly told her in a cold tone, effectively cutting off any other plea that she might have.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

The brunette felt like she was with a complete stranger again, knowing completely nothing about the guy. She felt a little bit stung since she thought that they had at least become slightly acquainted after all the things they've gone through so far. She wondered if he even knew her name since he's never bothered to call her by it—not even once during the time they've known each other.

"If you don't want to tell me anything, we might as well go. We're wasting time in here." Ryoma stood up from his seat and grabbed the backpack he bought earlier from the floor.

Sakuno frowned at the idea. She didn't want to continue on like this. Their lives were pretty much in each others' hands at this point. How can they afford not to trust each other?

She suddenly stood up and faced Ryoma, determination in her chocolate orbs. The lad gave her a questioning look.

"Um...My name is Sakuno Ryuzaki. I'm twenty years old. I was orphaned at the age of five. I—" she stumbled a bit, but forced the words out of her mouth. "I barely have any recollection of my parents. My grandmother raised me. She made a living coaching tennis in middle school. We've lived all over Europe as I was growing up. She passed away two years ago from a heart condition and left me under the care of a legal guardian."

Ryoma noticed that her chocolate eyes turned a little opaque at the mention of her grandmother, but she took a deep breath as if trying not to break down in front of him. "Um...I am trying to major in Culinary Arts. My...my specialty are baked goods. My birthday is January 14. I'm a Capricorn. I have no sense of direction and I am terribly clumsy as you probably witnessed earlier..." She couldn't help but smile sadly at this and she shook her head. "Um...what else? My favorite color is pink. And yes... there is something I own that has always seemed weird to me."

Her last sentence caught Ryoma's attention the most and he was about to ask if she's brought the item with her, when she suddenly motioned to her chest.

"This...has always bothered me." Color touched her cheeks, and she hesitated only for a second before she unbuttoned the first three buttons at the top of her blouse.

The lad's golden eyes widened a fraction. " _O-oi_ ," he started to protest, but his eyes were suddenly glued to the dark mark that was revealed to him.

On the upper part of the brunette's chest, just above her cleavage, sat a black heart-shaped tattoo that had floral wings attached. It was positioned as if it was decoratively adorning the top part of Sakuno's chest. In fact, Ryoma thought it looked really attractive against her flawless pale skin. But his thoughts were digressing now and he forced himself to avert his eyes to the side.

Ryoma frowned.

That mark...for some reason, he felt like he had seen that mark somewhere before.

There were some rustling of clothes as the girl re-buttoned the top part of her blouse. "I've had it for as long as I can remember," Sakuno explained, slight redness still present on her cheeks. "My grandmother said my parents gave it to me, but she told me to make sure no one else sees it. She was always oddly adamant about that. But maybe, she just meant because it's in a...sensitive part of the body, so it's only proper never to show it to anyone."

They were silent again as they remained standing.

Sakuno couldn't help but let out a sigh after a while. "That's...um...probably more than you wanted to know, but I just wanted you to know that I am going to trust you..." She looked up at him this time, though he found that he couldn't quite meet her gaze yet. "I know you don't trust me...but, you've saved my life so many times in the span of a few hours, and I have a strong feeling that I can trust you..."

The brunette finally closed her eyes in defeat. "But o-okay. I'm ready to go now. Sorry for the interrup—"

"Seven questions."

Her eyes snapped open.

"Eh?"

She couldn't help but look back at Ryoma, who still had his eyes averted from her, and was watching the scenery outside their motel window at the time.

"I'll answer seven questions from you."

Sakuno clutched the sleeve of her blouse with her other hand. "R-really?" She couldn't quite believe that she was hearing his words correctly.

The lad nodded. "But I'll only answer them once, so listen carefully."

Light came back into Sakuno's eyes and her thoughts immediately started running wild, thinking about what to ask the boy now that he's given her this chance. There were so many things she wanted to ask him.

"You promise to answer truthfully?" She couldn't quite keep the excitement from her voice.

"Sure, but I'm allowed to pass if I don't feel like answering the question at the time."

Sakuno bit her bottom lip and nodded, giving him a faint smile. "That's okay with me as long as you give me an answer at some point."

This time, he turned his head to look at her and she couldn't help the fast thumping of her heart again. Every time their eyes meet, she always felt this electric jolt in her chest.

"Um...can we start now?" she asked him eagerly.

"Shoot."

"O-okay, question one. What do you do?"

"Pass."

The brunette frowned. How is that any different from what he gave her before? Is this just another sly tactic to placate her? Oh well, she did agree that he can pass.

"Fine. Second question. Why were you at my apartment the night they kidnapped me?"

Ryoma took some time before answering this one. "...Pass."

 _Oh come on._ Seriously? Did he intend to pass on all of her questions from the start and never give her an actual answer?

The brunette couldn't help but pout, but she didn't feel like giving up just yet.

"Question three. What's your favorite color?"

Ryoma had to give her a skeptical look when he heard the third one, but she was still looking at him with the same serious expression she had when she asked her first two questions.

Her chocolate eyes displayed genuine interest in the answer. He tried to deny his treacherous thoughts, but he couldn't help but feel that it was kind of endearing.

Sakuno breathlessly waited for the answer, but when it didn't come, she gloomily murmured, "Let me guess. Pass again?"

"We should go. We don't have much time left," Ryoma reminded her, steering the conversation back to serious matters.

The brunette let out a loud sigh, before resigning to her fate and packing her things.

After they made sure they didn't leave any incriminating evidence of their presence in the motel room, she followed Ryoma into the same black Mercedes they had "borrowed" from the harbor. He once again deftly hot wired the engine back to life. But before he pulled out of the motel's parking lot, he said something to her.

"It's silver."

Sakuno's frown was evident as she turned a puzzled look at him. _What about silver?_

"Pardon?"

Ryoma kept his gaze directed at the front windshield. There was a pause before he clarified what he told her. "My favorite color."

It was a very simple answer, but she couldn't help the huge smile that suddenly spread on her face. "O-oh..." she uttered, the happiness in her voice was almost overwhelming. "T-thank you."

"Hn."

* * *

They were bundled up in heavy winter jackets and scarves, awaiting a cogwheel train at Kleine Scheidegg station. The train would take them all the way up to Jungfraujoch—famously called the Top of Europe at the Swiss Alps.

That was when the station master suddenly announced that they're cancelling most of the trains going up to Jungfraujoch due to a snowstorm warning. They were advising all passengers at the station to take the train back down the mountain as soon as possible.

Cancelling? Right when they can't afford to lose any more time? Ryoma remembered the glaring red numbers he saw before they arrived at the station. It mockingly flashed 26 hours.

 _Damn it_.

Ryoma grabbed Sakuno's arm and dragged her in order to speak to a station staff that was answering people's question a few feet away.

"We really need to go up there. Is there at least one train that can still take us?" was his direct question to the staff.

The poor bloke swallowed and almost flinched under Ryoma's stern gaze. " _M-monsieur,_ there is one train that will make the journey, but we really advice you not to take that train. It's really dangerous and you'll have to sign papers that will release us from responsibility just in case something happ—"

"Give us the papers." Ryoma didn't even hesitate.

The station employee had to glance at Sakuno, obviously concerned about the maiden going up there despite the clear warning of a snowstorm. "But _monsieur_ —"

"Didn't you hear me?" The question was accompanied by a sharp glare.

"R-right this way," the poor staff was forced to acquiesce.

* * *

Aside from them, there were three other brave souls who took the cogwheel train that was currently sluggishly making its way further up the mountain. The other people—all men who had mountain climbing backpacks—sat near the front of the train, while Ryoma and Sakuno chose two of the vastly unoccupied seats located at the rear.

Sakuno was looking out the window at the snowy mountain. The sky was bluish white, looking unsettled, with telltale signs of the coming snowstorm noticeable in the ice cold atmosphere.

The brunette was a little worried about the storm, but as Ryoma had put it, they are still going to die anyway if they didn't push through. She turned her attention to the hills and tried to appreciate the scenery. The sight must be gorgeous during summer or spring.

 _'How ironic_ ,' she couldn't help but think. She finally had the chance to visit a scenic place with someone, but she couldn't take the time to admire the view.

"Want to sleep?" her companion suddenly asked, breaking her train of thoughts.

She sent him a thankful smile for the thoughtfulness, but shook her head slowly. "I got some sleep while you were driving us. It's you who didn't get much rest. Do you want to sleep? I'll keep watch."

Ryoma couldn't help but scoff at that. "You couldn't detect danger even if it stared you right in the face."

A pout. " _Mou_ , you can at least try to say that in a nicer way."

"Heh." Ryoma was just taking his attention away from her, when the projectile hit. The cogwheel train was shaken violently by the force and was pushed to the side of the railway.

Ryoma had instinctively covered Sakuno with his body. As soon as the shaking stopped, he checked their surroundings. The front of the train was consumed with fire, thick black smoke enveloping the first few seats.

That was definitely no ordinary projectile if it had caused that much damage.

 _Shoulder-fired missile?_

His eyes turned to the window and scanned the area beyond the train, trying to discern where the attack came from.

Much to his dismay, he recognized a red light at the far side of the opposite hill. It looked suspiciously like a sniper light to him and the red dot was being projected on him and Sakuno. _They're firing again!_

Taking a hold of Sakuno's arm to get her up, he practically pushed the brunette out of the train in a hurry. As soon as they hopped off, the second projectile hit their previous seats and the car train was finally blown off the cliff from the force.

Ryoma didn't wait for a third missile to hit and kept on dragging Sakuno farther toward the snow-covered slopes so they can take cover from the missiles.

Once he's satisfied that they were far enough, he allowed the poor girl to crouch down and attempt to catch her breath. They were surrounded by snow and the temperature was in the negative degrees. Even the simple process of breathing the cold air in and out was becoming more difficult.

"Ryo...ma..." _Huff,_ _huff._ "-san..." _Huff, huff_.

He turned his attention to her and knew immediately that she wouldn't last out there for long. Unlike him, her body wasn't tempered against harsh conditions. They didn't hear any further attacks after the third missile hit, so it might be safe enough to return to the railway area. They would use the railroad as a guide to take them back to the station and just figure everything out from there.

Just when he took a hold of her arm again, they heard the ominous low rumbling of the air, signifying that something was approaching.

Ryoma froze, knowing exactly what that thing was.

It was the snowstorm.

* * *

Everything was a flurry of white in the blizzard that viciously attacked their bodies. Simply maintaining a standing position proved to be an impossible feat amidst the snowstorm.

He had a firm grip on Sakuno's arm, leading her as they diligently trudged through the storm. He knew they couldn't afford to stay out there longer. They needed to find a shelter fast.

The lad suddenly felt the brunette stumble and fall to the snow-covered ground beside him. She was shaking violently, her face completely pale, and her lips were an alarming shade of blue.

He cursed in his mind. How long had they been out there? She would pass out from hypothermia any time now.

Ryoma knelt and took hold of both of her arms, trying to make her focus on him. "Hey, we have to keep going. Just hang in there for a while."

Her eyelids were fluttering and she couldn't stop her shivering. Moving was proving to be more difficult, but she tried to give the boy a nod to at least signify that she heard him.

Ryoma gave her a slight smirk as a reward, admiring the girl's fighting spirit. He placed her arm around his shoulders so he can support her as they continued their laborious effort to seek shelter from the blizzard.

* * *

It was nothing short of a miracle when he did spot some type of snow cave shelter in the area, most likely created by previous mountain climbers just in case of an emergency. By the time he had pulled Sakuno inside the cave, she was barely conscious and her constant violent shivering was starting to alarm to him.

Her lips were quivering as he laid her on the sleeping platform of the trench. "Hey...hang on a little longer, alright?" he whispered to her as he tore off his own heavy jacket in a hurry and wrapped it around her. The brunette gave him another definite nod amidst her shaking. He didn't even know if she actually understood what he said, but if she can still respond to him, then that's good enough for him.

Ryoma grabbed the red firework he bought from the department store earlier. He lit it with the lighter from his backpack and sent it flying up outside their shelter, hoping someone would see it.

He sent a coded message in the form of an email to some of his friends earlier while they were at the mall. The hazel-eyed lad was just hoping that one of them saw the message and were already somewhere in the area. If so, they should be able to see that firework he just sent as a distress signal.

Ryoma turned his attention back to the brunette. She was still shivering and her breath was coming in short gasps now. He had tried to start a fire using scraps of paper he gathered from his backpack, but that didn't last longer than a few minutes.

 _Shit._

Looking at her deteriorating state, he knew there was only one way left to warm her up.

* * *

In her semi-delirious state, she felt something warm envelop her and pull her into some kind of a happy zone. She vaguely heard his voice whispering to her, encouraging her to keep hanging in there and fight a little longer.

Sakuno couldn't help but snuggle deeper into that embrace. Her body, which was desperately seeking any form of warmth, automatically clung to this new source. She buried her head deeper and felt the heavenly warmth of something that somehow stiffened momentarily when she wrapped her arms around it. A few seconds later though, she felt the arms already around her tighten their hold on her, allowing more of their warmth to transfer to her.

 _"Ryuzaki_ —"

Her eyes snapped semi-open briefly, giving her a blurry glimpse of intense golden hazel eyes, before her eyes closed again.

"—stay with me—"

Is it Ryoma?

Ryoma just called her name. _Finally_... She couldn't help the small smile that showed, despite her quivering lips.

"R-rryo...ma- s-s-sann..." she murmured.

"...S-s-so g-g-glad...I m-m-met...y-y-you..." she tried to voice out, unsure if she can be understood at this point. "...s-s-so h-h-happy...I-I'm...n-n-ot...a-l-l-one..."

Sakuno could remember a time last year when she was bedridden from a severe flu and there had been no one in that lonely apartment to keep her company as she was desperately fighting against the virus. As sad as it was, she really thought she was going to die alone back then.

But right now, it's different. Even if she felt like dying, at least there was someone with her. At least, she wasn't alone.

For some reason, she felt him stiffen again as soon as she uttered her words. Then she felt the sensation of a hand settling on top of her head, before pulling her head closer to a solid warm chest.

In her muddled mind, the sound of a metal chain rattling pierced through her thoughts. That's right, they're still connected. Ryoma couldn't escape because of her.

She knew herself that she couldn't last long. But Ryoma...she knew he can escape. She had seen his skills, he can get out of basically any kind of trouble. He didn't need to worry about her. He didn't owe her anything, after all. She needed to tell him that.

The brunette gritted her teeth so she can get her words out clearer.

"Y-you n-need...t-to g-get out of h-here...Y-you h-have...p-p-per...m-m-ission...t-to...c-c-cut off...my...a-arm...but p-p-please w-w-wait u-u-until...I-I'm...p-p-passed...o-out."

Was it just her delirium or did she hear him scoff? Though the word _"Baka!"_ came out loud and clear.

"P-p-please..."

"—stay—"

 _I wish I could..._

"—stay with me—"

 _'I really wish I could,' s_ he thought miserably as she felt the cold sensation of water in her eyes.

Then somehow, her shutting down brain gave her one last present before it bid her goodbye.

Sakuno was able to imagine coming back to Switzerland during summer. She had time to leisurely admire the green hills with their beautiful blooming flowers. She was breathing in the cool—not cold—air. Giggling carelessly, she spun in place as she enjoyed her time with the person beside her.

In her fantasy, she looked up to the man beside her and gave him her warmest smile.

He turned his golden hazel eyes to her, apathetic at first, but then softened ever so slightly as they focused on her smile. She saw the man open his mouth to say a word.

This last word sweetly echoed in her mind for a few seconds.

 ** _'Ryuzaki...'_**

Then everything went dark.

* * *

 _ **The end.**_

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Just kidding.

Or am I?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I could totally just end it there. It will be a bittersweet ending, but so many questions left unanswered. I think I read a mystery book that ended like this and I was so frustrated because I never found out about what actually happened. But I do want to hear your guys' guesses about the unexplained things in the story. Let me know your hunches.

Anyway, please read and review. I really had fun writing this chapter. So much fun with blushing Sakuno. And I'm not kidding. I really am just tempted to end it here. I think it's really fun that way too.

 _Merry Christmas~_


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